what is it

i am dirt-covered knees and
prayer-less divinity;
the lover’s embrace,
the betrayer’s last kiss.

i am the boiling cauldron and
the empty cup;
the watchman,
the thief,
the smouldering ruins.

i am infinite wisdom,
the simpering fool,
the storm & the shelter
the search for lost time.

i am one thousand promises,
all of them broken;
the feast-laden table
surrounded by sharks.

i’m the childless mother,
a daydream believer,
surrounded by water,
afflicted by thirst.